Diana DeGette: “while the recent reports and graphic photographs of the alleged prisoner abuse at the Abu Ghraib prison sound similar to…”

“while the recent reports and graphic photographs of the alleged prisoner abuse at the Abu Ghraib prison sound similar to the atrocities that occurred under the cruel dictatorship of Saddam Hussein, these unbelievable instances of brutality and inhumanity, instead, allegedly took place under American command, perpetrated by American troops. Sadly, the Abu Ghraib prison-- the very prison that epitomized all that was evil under Saddam Hussein's regime to the Iraqi people--still represents evil, only under a new name. Accordingly, Congress must send an unwavering message to the Iraqi people and to the rest of the world that the United States will not tolerate the alleged atrocities that have occurred in the Abu Ghraib prison. While I will vote for this resolution, I do not want to simply join my colleagues who want to pay lip-service to a solution without any subsequent action. Congress must ensure that the perpetrators of the alleged brutality, as well as those leaders who let such inhumanity occur under their watch, be brought to justice. Just as importantly, Congress must investigate the scope of this problem; the increasing number of revelations of alleged prisoner abuse at Abu Ghraib and other prisons in Iraq, leads me to believe that such brutality may not be isolated to six or seven individuals.”